Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-25
CHRISTMAS.
When the Day Was First Celebrated.
How 1t Was Made a Fixed Fes-
tiyal-- Date of Christ's Birth
Unknown.
Many OF Our Sports and Games Trace
able to Heather Origia-Gift Civ
Ing Genes from the Romans.
The q ritieh Druids Contribute Decoration
Oar Santa Claus and Christmas Tree
Come FROM Germany.


the Saviour of msnkind.was celebrated for
the frst time after that glorious morning,
1887 yesrs ago, when in rude stable in
Bethlehem of Judes, q babe was born
whom kings and wise men fell down be-
fore and worsh'ped. Christmas was
frstk kept IS holiday A. D SO. Its name
WAS derived from Christ and the Saxon
nasse, or mass, and the two words were
combined to denote special service in
honor OF the birth Of the Son Of God.
For the first three centuries Christmas
was one CT the most movable Of all re-
lisious festivals. The exact date OF the
s4viour's nativity was very uncertain,
and the Eastern church observed the 9Th
of January as the anniversary of both His
birth and circumcision. But in the fourth
century, Pope julius l. ordered an inVesti-
CATION Of the matter, and after long de-
Liberation the theolo2ians of both the
east and west united in appointing De-
cemher % to be kept as Chrlst's birth
dsy.
We have no mesps, however, of deter
mining the exact date of the Seviour's ns-
tivity. The statement that the date was
preserved in the public archives at Rome,
though asserted by some of the early
fathers is not now generally credited. As
to the year, the preponderance Of opinion
and Of such evidence as we have Seem to
favor that of or B. G.. As to the
month, December is the height of the
rainy season in Judea, Dnd therefore the
fact, as stated by the New Testament,
that shepherds were watching their fiOcks
on its plains while stars were shining in
the heavens on the night OF the SzviOur's
Dir b, make it extremely unlikely that it
could have occurred in that month. Many
learned tTe6tiseS nave been written and
plausible arguments advanced to prove
that it must have taken place in October,
but the question Will ever remain in aoey-
anCe.
1t sc ams not improbable that in select
ing ID ecember % SO the cate of the great
est event save one-the crucifxion-in
the worlds history, the worthy fathers
were Influenced by desire to supplant
the many heather festivals of the winter
selstice, such as the S.iurDaie or great
Festival of SatarG and Ops, which began
on the l9 of December (nr, after
CGssr's reformation Of the calendar, CD
t2e I7Jb) and continued for seven days.
This presum puon j. made more PROBABLE
from the fact that for many cen uries the
festivities of Chris mss were prolonged
till ct Welfth Night" J+nusrv 6, and even
till "Candl mas Day." February 2, while
they usually began as e&rly IS the ght
before "Au SAINTS Day" OF "Hallow
Ege,n thus showing the de-
sire to make the heather converts
to Christianity feel that they had
ost nothing in harmless pleasure snd en-
lOymeuG o. .uu substitution Of The Chris
tisu festival Of the winter sClsli for The
iheathen one. Not only Old he Romans
observe this period Of he year as & time
OF mirth and It icing. The ancient
Celtic and GermeDic rEces did the sane.
The Germans, especially, were then SC
cuStOmed 10 mold great IesstS, OF which
the most prominent continued during the
twelve days from December % toJanusry
g. They believed that throughout that
time their great Delties moved shout the
earth, and that, though invisible: their
personal movements could be readily
traced.
By the celebration of Christmas, with
its grand liturgy, its magnificent
music and It's pictorial and
dramatic representations Of the principal
events in the lite OF Him whose birth ii
conmemorated, the church sought TO re-
place these heather festivities and to lift
I'D the minds of the people to something
higher and holier, but many Of the old
heather festive ussges were TO certain
extent christiapizcd. and not q few CT
them have survived even down TO OR
own lime. Indeed, so much is this the
case that many Of our most distinctively
Christmas customs, sports and games
can be distinctly traced to heather
origin.
The day was regarded from the first
both as q holy commemoration Of s most
sacred event and as q mirthful, joyous
festival, but in the middle ages the fes-
tive ebservapces Of the day ofren so far
oyer-topped,its more sacred features that
the clergy were frequently compelled to
check the unseemy meriiment OF their
f-Cks. All persons, old and yourg, we're
then accustomed to indulge in what were
called the December liberties"
Wild gsmb0ls, prGnks and
masquerades OF the most eX-
trsvsg.nt and burlesque character, IA
which everything and everybody were
soSuTGly satlrlz7d aud burIesqued.
Al the G ristmss dinners of the old
ieuGsl bsropS the first dish brought to
tall was huge boar's head, having q
lemon placed in its mouth. It was car
ried in great state the whole length of the
immense bauqueting hsll upon massive
silver pl tier borne by the maj IT domo OF
tae house hold, attended by large num-
Der Of servants aud vasssls, and was
placed before the lord Of the manor at
The head Of the festive board with grt at
pomp snd ceremony. 1t WAS tollo wed by
Great treDchers of beef, venisoD, pork,
mutton, turkeys, cspons, hens, geese,
ducks, plum buildings, nuts, sugar snd
money, and monstrous bowls of punch
and wasssil. Then came Christmas
sports and games of msny kinds, the fes-
tVlIles being presided over by
tpecisly appointed officer OF the
aousthold cslled the Lord of Mlsrule, or
lne Abbott of Unresson, who reigped sH-
pfeme from II low Eve" October ST.
T" Condemns Day." February 2.
Ffominent among these Christmas d.
versions we're "Snsp Dragon" a game
hca consisted ia trying TO snatch rails
lis from burning brands and place them
u ones mouth without dropping them;
not Cookies" in which bliDdfoloeo
person was struck by the other members
Otthe compsnv and required to guess the
ualhe OF each person dealing him blow,
sua "Mumming," which consisted of az
eACnange OF garments between men ano
monen, wlo thus attired in the haoili-
elts OF their opposite sex, went from